Hello
Guest

Sponsored Links


Topic: Being apart until moving to the UK?  (Read 2521 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Being apart until moving to the UK?
« on: January 29, 2010, 03:33:04 PM »
So I am getting ready to move to England to be with my fiance.  I believe I have about 2-3 months left to wait (its been 2 months already).  I was wondering how long other people have had to wait, how did they cope?  Was there trust issues?  How often did you talk?  Did you visit?  My fiance and I cant visit each other, and its really hard as we really miss each other. 

Need advice.

Thanks!


  • *
  • Posts: 2868

  • Liked: 1
  • Joined: May 2007
  • Location: Surrey
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2010, 03:56:56 PM »
All in all, I was apart from my now-husband for almost four years.  We never had any trust issues, luckily, and I think that everyone's coping mechanisms are different.  Most people will tell you to Skype and webcam and stuff, but that was never our thing.  We spoke once a day on the phone and always had our next visit planned.  We visited eachother every 2 months or so, but went as long as 9 months once without seeing eachother.   

If you only have 2 more months to go, count yourself lucky - you are in the home stretch!


  • *
  • Posts: 1173

  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Jan 2010
  • Location: Snohomish, WA ---> Sheffield, UK
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2010, 08:26:28 PM »
I agree with mirrajay..everyone has different ways to cope.
DB and I always have our next trip planned and we speak on the phone at least once a day, plus Google chat. The longest we've ever been apart is 3 months and that's not very long compared to others on UKY!

Do you guys communicate every day?
August 2008: Met on Facebook
February 2009: Met face-to-face in London, UK
March 2009 - September 2011: Visits back and forth
January 30, 2012: Married in Vegas
March 19, 2012: Online Application Completed
March 22, 2012: Biometrics, Docs sent (priority)
March 23, 2012: E-mail stating reception of docs
March 26, 2012: VISA ISSUED! :D
May 14, 2012: MOVING TO SHEFFIELD!
March 17, 2014: Passed Life in the UK Test!
June 14, 2014: ILR Approved!


  • *
  • Posts: 50

  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Oct 2009
  • Location: USA
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2010, 03:24:04 AM »
I have to chime in and agree with the others on this - every relationship is so different its hard to compare - i think it depends on the couple and what works for them...I think the time difference is to blame ;) It makes it tough to "be on the same page" with my boyfriend when he's 5 hrs in the future - but we make the best of it - we have a daily phone chat since im always just leaving my job when he's passing out to sleep and on the weekends we always make time for a "skype date" - we catch up, watch movies, plan our next adventures. I notice from Aricarai & Mirrajay's posts which i think helps me as well is that the next visit is planned - it gives a certainty and a countdown in your mind "til next time" and makes it just a bit easier to say goodbye (ok ok i know im not very convincing at the whole putting "easier" and "goodbye" in 1 sentence!)  :P

Just keep on staying strong - you only have two lil months to go! and how amazing you're moving there soooo soon :) Thats really great and congrats! You are very lucky! i know being apart for months at a time is not easy - but concentrate on the lil things - packing, enjoying time with friends and family, getting ready for a new life across the pond, and make sure you get enough target trips into the next 2 months to last you a while! ;)

P.s.  I find coming to this forum and writing away or reading other stories is very helpful! Keep on writing away!
"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney

"Distance between two hearts is not an obstacle... rather a beautiful reminder of just how strong true love can be."





  • Jewlz
  • is in the house because....
  • *
  • Posts: 8647

  • International Woman of Mystery
  • Liked: 3
  • Joined: Jun 2008
  • Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2010, 07:23:30 AM »
We were only apart for a year... pretty short time, all in all. We used Skype most every day, even if only for 10-15 minutes just to say hello and see each other. I think the longest we went without seeing each other in person was about 3 months. It is hard, but it's worth it in the end! Good luck!


  • *
  • Posts: 1193

  • I miss people no matter where I live
  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Oct 2009
  • Location: Norwich
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2010, 10:14:25 PM »
I had to be apart from my then boyfriend now husband for four years with two visits in there! It was hell! We met really young (high school for me, college for him) so school commitments and ages were in the way of visiting. I don't even want to think about those times. They were the hardest in my life and I couldn't do it again. I think when you come to live with him, you'll forget all those hard times and just appreciate each single day (as I do). Especially in the mornings when it feels like it can't be real. 
Met DH to be: 2004
Visited back and forth:2005-2008
Student visa: September 2008
Married: September 2009
Flr(m): July 2011
Finished my bachelors: May 2012
Finished MSc: august 2013
ILR approved: September 2013
Citizenship approval: August 2015
Passport received: November 2015
Citizenship journey is complete!





Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2010, 10:29:57 PM »
We spent 6 years in an LDR.  Some years we saw each other frequently, and he spent 3 full visa waiver periods in the US along with many shorter visits (usually a week or two).  The longest we went without seeing each other was around 9-10 months.  At first it was hard because there weren't the options to talk on the phone cheaply, but we spent a lot of time IMing and voice IMing.  We eventually got VOIP, and that made things easier.

We coped in a lot of the usual ways, but finances were very tight for a few years.  It was hard, and at various times we had strain due to some trust issues and frustration with how long it was taking us to get things set up properly.  Trust was a very minor issue, but frustration wasn't.

Ultimately it either straightened our relationship pretty solidly or we were just lucky to be so well paired.


  • *
  • Posts: 71

  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Oct 2008
  • Location: East London, UK
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2010, 10:12:48 AM »
We were apart for a year, which felt like torture until I found this site and saw other people's stories of spending years and years apart. The longest we went without seeing each other was about 4 months - he visited me in the US twice for a couple of weeks and I visited him once. Like almost everyone else has said, one of the most important things for us was having our next visit planned before the current one was over, which isn't always possible, but if you're atleast able to have some kind of rough timeline figured out it makes a world of difference.
We met while I was living in the UK and we really started to plan the wedding only about 2 or 3 months after I had to move back to the US. Having something to plan and something to work towards is the most important thing, I think. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be apart with no end-date in sight.
We relied mostly on the phone, talking for at least an hour every day, which cost us an absolute fortune, but it was the only thing that really worked for us.
The last couple of months are the strangest, really. You start to feel yourself mentally distancing yourself from your life in the US because you're doing so much planning and thinking about moving to the UK. Also, I've heard a lot of people say that they fight much more right before they're about to see eachother, and we found that to be true sometimes as well. Stress,anticipation,and all kinds of emotions just take over. Also I think you get to a point where you've planned so much that you just don't really have anything else to do, but like someone else said, focus on spending time with your family and your friends and just doing things for yourself.
We never had any serious trust issues, but I don't think it's uncommon or terrible, especially in LDRs, where you have a lot of time to let  your mind wander. I had moments of my own, but everyone does and you just have to be able to talk about anything that's bothering you.
It's all worth it, of course! Hang in there!


  • *
  • Posts: 2289

  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Jul 2008
  • Location: Brighton, UK
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2010, 10:27:47 AM »
This may sound dumb, but how do you watch movies together?  I would love to try that.
"It’s life. You don’t figure it out. You just climb up on the beast and ride." - Rebecca Wells


  • *
  • Posts: 161

  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Jan 2010
  • Location: Reading, PA - Soon South Wales
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2010, 12:37:39 PM »
This may sound dumb, but how do you watch movies together?  I would love to try that.
My husband and I watch movies together whenever he has a day off work. I have Vonage, so I can make unlimited calls to him. We rent (or borrow from the library) the same DVDs and watch it at the same time while on the phone  :)
Submitted online Visa application: January 27th, 2010
Biometrics taken: February 5th, 2010
Expediter submitted application to LA Consulate: February 9th, 2010
Visa issued: February 12th, 2010
Joining my husband in Wales: May 10th, 2010


  • *
  • Posts: 1173

  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Jan 2010
  • Location: Snohomish, WA ---> Sheffield, UK
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2010, 03:54:53 PM »
I can relate to the fighting right before you see each other.
I'm going to see DB at the end of March and we were talking on the phone last night and I was being such a little brat. I was very cranky, but it didn't seem to phase him. Which is nice :)
August 2008: Met on Facebook
February 2009: Met face-to-face in London, UK
March 2009 - September 2011: Visits back and forth
January 30, 2012: Married in Vegas
March 19, 2012: Online Application Completed
March 22, 2012: Biometrics, Docs sent (priority)
March 23, 2012: E-mail stating reception of docs
March 26, 2012: VISA ISSUED! :D
May 14, 2012: MOVING TO SHEFFIELD!
March 17, 2014: Passed Life in the UK Test!
June 14, 2014: ILR Approved!


  • *
  • Posts: 161

  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Jan 2010
  • Location: Reading, PA - Soon South Wales
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2010, 01:12:13 AM »
I can relate to the fighting right before you see each other.
I'm going to see DB at the end of March and we were talking on the phone last night and I was being such a little brat. I was very cranky, but it didn't seem to phase him. Which is nice :)

Yeah, why is that  ??? My husband and I couldn't love each other more, but at times we are so mean to each other! I know we're stressed, depressed, angry, hurt, and even lonely, but I wish we weren't so b!tchy to each other so often.
Submitted online Visa application: January 27th, 2010
Biometrics taken: February 5th, 2010
Expediter submitted application to LA Consulate: February 9th, 2010
Visa issued: February 12th, 2010
Joining my husband in Wales: May 10th, 2010


Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2010, 01:19:21 AM »
EXACTLY THE SAME HERE!!! We love each other more than anything and still are so mean lately. It goes both way and its not anything major or relationship ruining but it drives me crazy. Im so ready for the stress to go away and us just be together.


  • *
  • Posts: 1193

  • I miss people no matter where I live
  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Oct 2009
  • Location: Norwich
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2010, 10:02:32 AM »
EXACTLY THE SAME HERE!!! We love each other more than anything and still are so mean lately. It goes both way and its not anything major or relationship ruining but it drives me crazy. Im so ready for the stress to go away and us just be together.

In social psych I learned that the best way to fix a fight is by hugging it away, plus it makes your kids more secure and cuddly. But how the heck can you do that when you're so damn far away right?

:( I can't do seperation again...but I may have to in a little bit for stupid visa purposes.
Met DH to be: 2004
Visited back and forth:2005-2008
Student visa: September 2008
Married: September 2009
Flr(m): July 2011
Finished my bachelors: May 2012
Finished MSc: august 2013
ILR approved: September 2013
Citizenship approval: August 2015
Passport received: November 2015
Citizenship journey is complete!





  • *
  • Posts: 50

  • Liked: 0
  • Joined: Oct 2009
  • Location: USA
Re: Being apart until moving to the UK?
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2010, 05:05:16 AM »
This may sound dumb, but how do you watch movies together?  I would love to try that.

Awww Sarahjoyhappy - its not dumb at all - trust me i would have never thought of it either if it weren't for my bf - he's amazing at figuring these things out. We use Skype all the time - and its has a "share screen" option so if i select it essentially my bf sees my computer screen from his Skype screen (wow now i just re-read that & i hope i didn't confuse anyone as much as myself lol) So once I "share screen" i can plug in any DVD into my laptop - and viola! We have a movie date :) Its perfect cause we can still pause the movie and talk during the movie since we're watching it at the same time. Let me know if you have any other questions - i'll be more than happy to try and explain it better :) Also, Marie2Cymru has a good idea too - but i don't have Vonage so those phone calls would prob cost me an arm and a leg ;)

Oh....and P.s. i couldnt agree more about the whole fighting and loving - i guess it goes hand in hand and GibbyGab makes a valid point - how many times all i wish for is for a hug from him cause i know that would fix it all! I think the distance plus stress of "future" causes all these crazy feelings in me personally - I just do my best to stay positive and just remember all the wonderful memories we have together. Also it really helps thinking about "the best is yet to come" that's our motto and whenever i get upset or angry or stressed i just remind myself & my bf that and it makes it a lil easier :)

*Hugs* to make it a bit better on everyone cause i def know how hard some days can be without your loved one!
"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney

"Distance between two hearts is not an obstacle... rather a beautiful reminder of just how strong true love can be."





Sponsored Links